Caution: Spoiler alert ahead!

We have a winner! After three months of fierce back-and-forth competition featuring unsightly trips, unceremonious snips and a lifetime's worth of sparkles, the “Dancing With the Stars” Season 12 champions and coveted Mirrorball trophy recipients have been crowned. Congratulations, Hines Ward and Kym Johnson!

You could have surmised the winner of the sparkliest award in ballroom reality TV history from the deafening roar of the crowd whenever the NFL star and his Australian pro partner were spotlighted. Fellow finalist Chelsea Kane had the technical precision, and Kirstie Alley had the natural ease and physical and emotional transformation. But Hines' hips don't lie: He had the advantage of having great movement, that winning smile, and the galvanizing support of an entire towel-twirling Steeler Nation. 

Though after this arduous and emotional journey (the opener was more akin to a Bob Costas-narrated Olympic segment, rather than a ballroom reality show intro) that spoke somberly about “the act of becoming a champion,” and two whole hours of lead-up to what was termed the closest competition ever, the coronation ceremony seemed a little bare-boned, didn’t it? After the copious amounts of it in previous shows and seasons, where was the hailstorm of confetti? Why didn’t anyone take Hines on the shoulders?

Still, I thought the winner was a fitting one. Hines played his game to both the audience and the judges. He had the heart of a champion and the hips of a Brazilian at Carnival. He showed that real men can cry, and his true mettle when he helped Kym through her injury. Plus, he loves his mama. Now he finally has a shiny trophy to put in that empty space on his shelf. And Kym now boasts a matching pair (her first was with Donny Osmond in Season 9).

Not to say that the other finalists weren’t as deserving. Chelsea was the first to go, as we had an inkling that she would, because her small niche in the Disney Channel universe wasn’t enough to compete against a nine-time Emmy nominee and a Super Bowl MVP in votes. And sadly, she looked crestfallen when she found out she had landed in third place, and it was up to Mark Ballas to wrap her in his consoling arms. Then it was Kirstie, who had the concave posture of someone who knew she was going to lose. Glad she’d found a lifelong partner in Maksim Chmerkovskiy, however. It’s so clear that these two mean so much to each other. I loved that he called her his trophy, though part of me is bummed that Maks had to go another season without a Mirrorball after coming so close.  

All three finalists performed once more in a last-ditch effort to raise their judges’ scores. These marks ended up being just vanity scores, as all of them received perfect 30s, but it was such a treat to see all three couples ending on a perfect high note in the routine of their choice.

Chelsea and Mark were up first. And after going back and forth, they decided their favorite dance was the "Wizard waltz," the Viennese waltz to the Harry Potter theme song. Chelsea pared down her costume a bit, but Mark kept his Sorting Hat on, and it was nice to see the clever choreography set to John Williams’ music once again. “You are a fantastic dancer, whatever the outcome tonight,” affirmed judge Len Goodman. “Bellissima, bravissima,” praised judge Bruno Tonioli. “Chelsea the enchantress. We are all under your spell.” “You are a very, very talented, artistic, classy, beautiful, graceful woman,” declared judge Carrie Ann Ianaba.

Then Kirstie and Maks danced one last time, a redux of their Week 1 cha cha that made us all fall in love with the actress in the ballroom in the first place. And what a difference 10 weeks make. She showed up with strands of sparkle in her hair and a dress half the size of her Week 1 costume with tons more confidence and verve. I loved how she and Maks gave each other little kisses throughout the routine, as if to prolong this experience that much longer. I’ll really miss their partnership. “Kirstie you cheeky girl, you saved the best for last,” said Bruno, who called this a “100%-proof cocktail of effervescent ... fun.” Carrie Ann said she loved Kirstie "for being you.” Len told Kirstie “you have produced your best dance.”

Hines and Kym reenacted their Week 3 samba to Earth Wind and Fire’s “Fantasy,” which Hines had dedicated to his mother. Kym came back out in her buttery yellow lettuce skirt and not much else, and Hines had his satiny terrible towel to wave at routine’s end. And you could tell that this routine was a lot more polished than it was way back when. What really put the dance over the top, though, was how Hines and Kym looked like they were having the time of their lives dancing it. “That was wonderful,” Carrie Ann said. “You dance with heart and it shows.” “Dance is the product,” said Len. “What is so appealing about you is the packaging.” “Mr. Irresistible,” Bruno declared.

The rest of the two hours was filled with musical performances, old contestants and celebrations of this highly rated season. There were a couple of segments. The judges exclaimed how close the final competition was, with no clear leader having emerged, and Len threw out rhyming platitudes such as “the Brawl for the Ball” and “the War on the Floor.” The judges also had their wackier comments, like “yum, yum, what a bum” and “come on sunshine” remixed and set to a bizarrely entertaining beat. “What was that?” Carrie Ann mouthed. “My new ringtone,” Tom answered, not skipping a beat.

Psycho Mike Catherwood showed that he wasn’t just twiddling his thumbs and biding time waiting out this “DWTS” season. Rather, the DanceWeekly reader auditioned for a spot in the “DWTS” Troupe in a winning outfit of a tie-dye unitard, pink legwarmers and a red headband, winning reactions from the “DWTS” Troupe members. The two-time Oakland Macarena champion then made it out with the troupe to perform to EMF’s “Unbelievable.” And it was as if his pro partner Lacey Schwimmer was making a nod to her two-toned hair with her two-toned outfit. Best part? How he got stripped down to his audition unitard at the end. “Words fail me,” said host Tom Bergeron.

The ballroom loved themselves some Black Eyed Peas. The six-time Grammy Award-winning stars delivered their latest single, “Don’t Stop the Party,” which was a welcome addition to the “DWTS” universe with its upbeat and dance-friendly beats, and performed it with a lot of lasers, lights, sparkly outfits and stepping on the ballroom floor. Season 3 contestant Sara Evans came out to perform her hit “A Little Bit Stronger” on a platform amidst a sea of fog while the big screens in the back paid tribute to the finalists’ unforgettable moments.

Super model and all-around beautiful soul Petra Nemcova reenacted her ethereal Week 3 waltz to Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up” with pro partner Dmitry Chaplin. And it was a sweet reenactment of the song that inspired Petra to start her charity to help tsunami victims. What’s more, Josh Groban actually came out singing! Turned out the singer actually flew in to surprise the model, and Dmitry had to point him out to her. And Petra had no idea it was really him singing! What a pleasant surprise of a surprise. File that under Things That Are Lovely.

Former "Girl Next Door" Kendra Wilkinson came outfitted in canary yellow fringe surrounded by a coterie of dancing men for an enhanced version of her “La Vida Loca” routine with Louis Van Amstel. I kind of hoped she would demonstrate the exploding breasts that she and Louis tried out during the commercial bumper. But considering how she was almost dropped during her lean-back off the judges’ podium at the end, maybe it was good to keep it safe after all. “Lucky she had those extra guys, as it turned out,” said Tom astutely.

Chris Jericho and Sugar Ray Leonard reprised their routines with Cheryl Burke and Anna Trebunskaya, respectively, with Michael Buffer making a return appearance and delivering his famous “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!” (though he called the celebraquarium “celebruarium”). Chris came back to debut another one of his spot-on imitations, this time of Bruno, “rubbing his chest for no apparent reason.” Hey, it got a perfect score from Carrie Ann. “I got a 10!” Chris exclaimed. It was all about redemption in the ballroom Tuesday night.

The Macy’s Stars of Dance was an upbeat number, where the Go-Gos got together (Oh, Belinda Carlisle. Still sad you didn’t go farther in your “DWTS” season) to sing “We Got the Beat” featuring Cheryl, Lacey and Chelsie in their 1980s best and Maks playing the stripping dancer cop delivered straight from our collective fantasies. Maks is definitely a manly eyeful, but between the all-girl band and the strength of these dancing females, I’ve got to hand it to the girls in this one. Did you catch that Bruno had on Maks’ cop hat in the end? How fitting.

Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff did their crowd-pleasing prohibition-era jive, with the trumpet player looking admiringly on. Wendy Williams did an oddly edited talk show where she interviewed herself while Tony Dovolani looked on in confusion. And then Wendy, her breasts and Tony came out to talk to Tom and host Brooke Burke. “It just feels good to be here and not be judged!” she said with relief.

Romeo danced for the kids. He and pro partner Chelsie Hightower performed a quite moving and effective waltz(?) to Whitney Houston’s kids’ anthem, “Greatest Love of All.” Romeo was dapper, and quite impressive with the lifts. Chelsie’s flowy skirt was mesmerizing. Romeo’s “DWTS” appearance and this routine all but erased the Season 2 eyesore that was his father, Master P. And there was a children’s choir! All those pure, innocent voices singing with the backlighting and the clouds of fog. Are we in heaven? Why was Sarah Palin there? Actually, Romeo stated that the world did not, in fact, end. So do him a solid and check out his Twitter handle.

And that, ballroom fans, concludes another bedazzling, star-studded, sparkly “Dancing With the Stars” season.

What do you think? Did the right person win? Do you agree with how the viewer votes turned out? Who else is psyched for a “Twinkle Toe Battle Off” among Hines, Emmit Smith and Carrie Ann?

-- Allyssa Lee

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Photos: (from top) "Dancing With the Stars" Season 12 champions Kym Johnson and Hines Ward. Credit: Adam Taylor / ABC

"Dancing With the Stars" Season 12 finalists Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas. Credit: Adam Taylor / ABC

"Dancing With the Stars" Season 12 finalists Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Credit: Adam Taylor / ABC

Click here to download TV listings for the week of May 22 - 28 in PDF format

TV listings for the week of May 22 - 28 in PDF format (from latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv)

Weekly TV Listings and more can be found at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv

This week's TV Movies

SCHOOL'S OUT — ALMOST: Brick (Atticus Shaffer) must turn in a journal or he won't make it to fourth grade in season finale of “The Middle” at 8 p.m. on ABC.

SERIES

America's Next Top Model: In case you missed the 15th cycle, or you just want to relive all the drama, rebroadcasts start from the beginning of this season (8 p.m. KTLA). 

American Idol: The top 13 finalists reunite on stage and the winner is announced in the season finale (8 p.m. Fox). 

Modern Family: It's Jay's (Ed O'Neill) birthday, and he'd love to spend it quietly fishing on the lake, but his family has other plans in the season finale (9 p.m. ABC). 

Cougar Town: Travis' (Dan Byrd) abrupt move to Hawaii has the gang following him there and deciding to stick around for a vacation. Courteney Cox, Josh Hopkins, Brian Van Holt, Christa Miller, Ian Gomez and Busy Philipps also star in the hour-long season finale (9:30 p.m. ABC). 

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior: French Stewart plays a man suspected of committing shootings in crowded areas. As Cooper (Forest Whitaker) and the team work the case, going undercover with Prophet (Michael Kelly) puts Beth's (Janeane Garofalo) life in danger in the season finale (10 p.m. CBS). 

South Park: Cartman launches a business in a new episode of the edgy animated series (10 p.m. Comedy Central). 

Happy Endings: When their slacker friend Shershow (T.J. Miller) invites the gang to his wedding, Brad and Jane (Damon Wayans Jr., Eliza Coupe) make a discovery about their own marriage. Casey Wilson, Stephen Guarino, June Raphael, Elisha Cuthbert also star in the season finale (10:30 p.m. ABC). 

SPORTS

2011 French Open Tennis: Second round (9 a.m. ESPN2). 

Baseball: The Dodgers visit the Houston Astros (11 a.m. FS Prime); the Oakland Athletics visit the Angels (7 p.m. FSN). 

Hockey: NHL playoffs: The Boston Bruins visit the Tampa Bay Lightning (5 p.m. VS). 

Basketball: NBA playoffs: The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Dallas Mavericks (6 p.m. ESPN). 

Soccer: The Houston Dynamo visits the Galaxy (7:30 p.m. FS Prime).

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Photo: Mitch Haddad / ABC

Today The winner of “Biggest Loser.” (N) 7 a.m. KNBC 

Good Morning America The final three “Dancing With the Stars” couples. (N) 7 a.m. KABC 

Rachael Ray Singers Pia Toscano, Paul McDonald and Stefano Langone take part in a cook-off. (N) 9 a.m. KCBS 

Live With Regis and Kelly Lucy Liu; winners of “Dancing With the Stars”; winner of “The Biggest Loser.” (N) 9 a.m. KABC 

Entitlement Nation Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. (N) 9 a.m. Fox Business.

The Talk Donny Osmond; Garcelle Beauvais. (N) 1 p.m. KCBS 

The Oprah Winfrey Show After 25 years, Winfrey hosts the series finale. (N) 3 p.m. KABC 

The Ellen DeGeneres Show Justin Bieber; James Blunt performs. 4 p.m. KNBC 

Piers Morgan Oprah tribute show. (N) 6 and 9 p.m. CNN 

Tavis Smiley DeMaurice Smith (NFL Players Assn.); Cornel West. (N) 11 p.m. KOCE 

When you start a season with a raging brawl in the middle of a baby christening, there’s nowhere to go but up. Or is that down?

The calm after the Jersey Housewife storm is filled with fall-out: As Teresa tells her friends, the fight between her husband (Joe Guidice) and her brother (Joe Gorga) at her nephew’s christening party was like "a bad bad dream." A bad bad dream in which her brother pounds his fists on the banquet table until a mob erupts into violence so chaotic and widespread that even Bravo’s multiple cameras can’t show us what exactly is going on.

Which is just as well — if we knew exactly what had happened, it wouldn’t be as much fun to hear the different parties trotting out their own versions of how things unraveled last week.

Three-quarters of the way through the penultimate episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” after Oprah was honored by men she’s put through Morehouse College on scholarship and the poet Maya Angelou read an original work dedicated to Winfrey, but before Aretha Franklin sang “Amazing Grace” and Usher performed the pop-gospel “Oh Happy Day,” Oprah’s longtime boyfriend Steadman Graham took the stage to speak about his partner.

A speaking role for Steadman — usually a silent, often forgotten prop on Winfrey’s stage — was so startling that Winfrey herself hollered “What in the name of Jesus!?” when he appeared. Addressing Winfrey, seated next to her best friend, Gayle King, in the crowd, Steadman spoke about her specialness and her humility. Then he said, “I cannot, honey, believe that a colored girl from the backwoods of Mississippi has done all that you have done.”

Graham’s statement was arresting, and not just for its dated locution. Along with much of Tuesday’s A-list talent show in honor of Winfrey, it was a reminder of how truly extraordinary Winfrey’s rise has been, how her influential grip on the country and its culture is still an exception, an anomaly that, like Steadman himself, has always been there, even though we’ve often forgotten about it. In a country that still sets often insurmountable hurdles for African-American women, and especially for those born into poverty, the unlikelihood of Winfrey’s mega-success is worth remembering, as is exactly what we’re going to lose when Winfrey disappears from our daily media.

For the most part, Tuesday’s show followed Monday's template: big-name stars and some cringey musical tributes were interwoven with authentically moving stories of the effect Winfrey has had on people’s lives. Tuesday saw Michael Jordan proclaiming that “men also love 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' ” just before Jamie Foxx launched into a rendition of “Isn’t She Lovely”; he was joined by Stevie Wonder himself, who rose out of the floor playing the piano, singing tweaked lyrics, like “I can’t believe/ How much you’ve done/ Since the first day your show begun/ Miss Oprah Win-frey/ Made of love.”

Jerry Seinfeld showed up to do a brief bit about Oprah and marriage. Simon Cowell made an appearance, and the show hit a surrealist pinnacle with Rosie O’Donnell’s introduction of Winfrey’s coterie of gurus to the tune of “Fever” ( “Sitting on my couch for hours/ With only time to kill/ You saved me from depression/ When you gave us Dr. Phil”). The regulars, including Nate Berkus and Dr. Mehmet Oz, all gamely parodied their own catch phrases, the highlight of which was Dr. Oz saying “Always remember: the S-shaped poop!”

But there were a handful of powerful moments Tuesday. Carrie, a high school teacher from Broken Arrow, Okla., explained how she’d used the 1996 Oprah episode in which she interviewed seven of the nine students who integrated Little Rock’s school district in 1957 to teach about the civil rights movement; one of her students, a 17-year-old named Christian, appeared to say that after watching the Little Rock episode, he understood that “I have a better future because of them, that I have to be a bigger man and forgive people.”

The tribute from her 415 Morehouse scholarship graduates, who paraded onto the stage holding candles, was preceded by a segment about Oprah’s larger commitment to education. Gayle King and Maria Shriver — billed as “two of Oprah’s best girlfriends” — introduced videos of some of the 64,688 kids from around the world that Winfrey has reportedly educated, all saying “Because of Oprah I went to school”; “Because of Oprah, I went to school”; “Because of Oprah, I went to school.” The effect was hypnotically stirring.

There was also Shriver, who’s spent the past two weeks knee deep in scandalous headlines about her husband’s love child with a former household employee. As she said her written line to Oprah — “For more than 30 years, you have bestowed the most amazing friendship on me, love, support, wisdom” — she paused to dramatically emphasize “and most of all, the truth.” Oprah looked at Shriver with all the pain of a born interrogator dying to spirit this woman back to the Harpo studios and administer an hourlong interview. Instead, all she could do was clasp Shriver’s hand, thrust their fists in the air and shout “Here’s to the truth!” There it was, the ghost of the interview that will never be and that secretly lots of us would kill to watch. This is the practical part of what it means to lose Oprah.

But here’s the other part: When we lose Oprah from daytime network TV, we lose a figure who has been bringing issues of race, gender, body image, power and class to the American people daily for 25 years. And I wish that that were more commonplace, but it just isn’t.

Kid TV fans can't seem to get enough of shows with singing and dancing, boy bands and "regular" teens who also happen to be multitalented pop stars.

One of the most successful in the genre, "Big Time Rush," will get a third season on Nickelodeon, the cable channel announced Tuesday. The live-action show will start production in January 2012 on 20 new episodes.

It's no surprise that Nickelodeon renewed the series, created by Scott Fellows ("Ned's Declassified Survival Guide") and produced in partnership with Sony Music. Year to date, it's the top show with kids ages 6 to 11 and the best-rated live-action series with kids 2 to 11 across TV. It averages 3.9 million viewers an episode. (Its series premiere two years ago drew a whopping 6.8 million viewers). It's also a top-10 show in international markets such as Germany, Mexico, Korea, Brazil and Sweden.

"Big Time Rush" follows four friends from Minnesota who move to Los Angeles to launch their music careers. It stars Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena and Logan Henderson. (The band's debut CD -- in real life, not on the show -- has been certified gold.)

The powerhouse kid cable network will air the group's music video, for the single "Worldwide," next month as a precursor to the boy band's U.S. and European tour. The four youngsters are expected to make a second record before year's end.

Kid channels are rife with squeaky clean musical shows, from TV movies "Lemonade Mouth" and the "Camp Rock" franchise starring the Jonas Brothers on Disney Channel to Nickelodeon series "Victorious." Disney, which puts the full force of its corporate synergy behind the projects, created and nurtured forerunners in the genre such as "Hannah Montana" and "High School Musical."

Nickelodeon announced earlier this week that it's ordered 20 episodes of the musically inclined "How to Rock," starring Cymphonique Miller as a lead singer in a pop/hip-hop band. The network plans to launch it next year.

RELATED:

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2011 Kids Choice Awards

-- T.L. Stanley

Photo: Carlos Pena Jr., left, James Maslow, Logan Henderson and Kendall Schmidt. Credit: Kevin Kolczynski / Getty Images

Call it "Field of Feuds."

Kevin Costner will star in "The Hatfields and McCoys," a new miniseries from cable's History network that will retell the story of the feuding families from the late 19th century American South.

The miniseries, eyed for a 2012 premiere, will be produced by Leslie Greif, best known as a co-creator of "Walker, Texas Ranger."

A spillover from the American Civil War, the Hatfield-McCoy feud started in 1865 after a member of the McCoy family, which mainly fought for the Union, was murdered by a band of ex-Confederates that was said to include "Devil" Anse Hatfield, whom Costner will portray. (Historians now believe that Devil Hatfield in fact was home ill when the murder took place.) The killing touched off a 25-year feud that led to gruesome revenge killings and eventually involved the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Everyone knows the legend of the Hatfields-McCoy feud, but few know the true story of what occurred to make the two families become mortal enemies," Costner said in a statement. "As an avid history fan, I am thrilled to join with Leslie Greif and History in this dramatic retelling of a classic and timeless tale that is forever immersed in the folklore of our country."

No word on whether Costner will rock the chest-length beard that Devil Hatfield wore during his life.

ALSO:

Mark Burnett brings the Bible to the History channel

History channel announces new slate

HBO renews "Treme" for third season

-- Scott Collins

Twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Kevin Costner in Phoenix in March. Credit: Michael Buckner / Getty Images

Christopher Meloni, who stars in NBC's 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,' will not be returning to the drama when it comes back in the fall.

No details were available on the reasons of Meloni's departure. NBC executives and Dick Wolf, creator of the "Law & Order" franschise, were not available for comment.

Meloni and co-star Mariska Hargitay two years ago were reportedly seeking more money and were considering leaving the series if they didn't get a raise. The dispute was resolved, and they returned.

Hargitay is scheduled to return this season but may not be in every episode.

ALSO:

Mark Burnett brings the Bible to the History channel

Kevin Costner to star in History channel's 'The Hatfields and McCoys'

— Greg Braxton

Photo: Christopher Meloni at 2011 Tribaca Film Festival

Credit: Jemal Countess / Getty Images.

"American Idol" has spawned dozens of celebrities who continue to make their mark on popular culture. Listed below are the highlights of TV programs airing during the next week related to 'Idol,' including appearances by contestants and judges, past and present.

“The E! True Hollywood Story” 5 p.m., Tuesday E!: Steven Tyler and his daughter, Liv Tyler.

“Dateline on E!” 6 p.m., Tuesday E!: Steven Tyler discusses his past in rock 'n' roll and his present on “American Idol.”

“Entertainment Tonight” 7 p.m., Tuesday CBS: “Dancing With the Stars”; “American Idol.” (N)

“The Insider” 7:30 p.m., Tuesday CBS: Cameron Diaz; “The Bachelorette”; “American Idol.” (N)

“American Idol” 8 p.m., Tuesday Fox: The remaining two finalists perform. (Part 1 of 2) (N)

“Entertainment Tonight” 11:30 p.m., Tuesday KCAL: “American Idol.”

“Rachael Ray” 9 a.m., Wednesday CBS: American Idol Contestants ... in a Cook-Off? Pia Toscano, Paul McDonald and Stefano Langone take part in a cook-off. (N)

“Dateline on E!” 3:30 p.m., Wednesday E!: Steven Tyler discusses his past in rock 'n' roll and his present on “American Idol.”

“The E! True Hollywood Story” 4 p.m., Wednesday E!: Jennifer Lopez.

“Entertainment Tonight” 7 p.m., Wednesday CBS: American Idol Finale!; “The Oprah Winfrey Show” finale. (N)

“American Idol” 8 p.m., Wednesday Fox: The top-13 finalists reunite on stage; the winner is announced. (Part 2 of 2) (N) 

RELATED:

Nigel Lythgoe makes an 'American Idol' prediction

Scotty McCreery versus Lauren Alaina: Who will win?

Full Show Tracker coverage of 'American Idol'

-- Compiled by Ed Stockly

Photo: Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery. Credit: Michael Becker/ Associated Press 

 
The L.A. Times is ushering in Emmy season with Envelope Emmy Week -- five days of television series screenings, cast Q&As and roundtable panels starting June 1. Fans of “Mad Men,” “True Blood,” “Dexter,” “Justified,” “Shameless” and many others will get a chance to hear the series' stars discuss their shows and characters. 

As noted on our sister blog, Awards Tracker, Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks and Kiernan Shipka will join “Mad Men” creator and executive producer Matt Weiner for a screening and Q&A on June 1. William H. Macy and other cast members of Showtime's "Shameless" take the stage on June 2, and Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins and others talk about “Justified” on June 6.

The final two roundtables mix things up thematically; the Alternative Families panel on June 7 will be hosted by Times TV critic Mary McNamara and will feature Katey Sagal (“Sons of Anarchy”), Jennifer Carpenter (“Dexter”), Denis O’Hare (“True Blood”), Emmy Rossum (“Shameless”), Cloris Leachman (“Raising Hope”) and Peter Krause (“Parenthood”). The Geek TV panel on June 8 will be moderated by Times television critic Robert Lloyd and will feature Joel McHale (“Community”), Sam Trammell (“True Blood”), Jayma Mays (“Glee”), Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”) and Johnny Galecki (“The Big Bang Theory”).

So, what would you want to ask this eclectic mix of actors? Leave your questions here for possible inclusion in the panels.

Guild members can get additional details and RSVP to attend any of the events at http://events.latimes.com/envelope/.

-- Elena Howe

Top photo: Michael C. Hall. Credit: Randy Tepper / Showtime 

Photo at right: Cloris Leachman. Credit: Stefano Paltera / For The Times

OWN, the cable network co-owned by Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, will tell its audience to go watch the queen of daytime talk host her final show Wednesday afternoon.

Viewers who flip to OWN on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. Eastern time, which is when most stations carry Winfrey's daytime talk show, will see a message that the cable network is taking the hour off in a salute to Winfrey's 25 years of chat.

“We couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to honor Oprah than for OWN to celebrate her ongoing legacy and enormous contribution to daytime television,” said Discovery Chief Operating Officer and interim OWN Chief Executive Peter Liguori in a statement.

There is no shortage of Winfrey coverage on OWN. The network said it will run six whole days of special programming from May 25 - May 30 devoted to Winfrey's historic talk show.

-- Joe Flint

RELATED:

Daytime TV may not be same after Winfrey leaves

Photo: Stevie Wonder and Oprah Winfrey share a moment. John Gress/Reuters

The relationship between "Glee" cheerleaders Santana and Brittany could have remained a little inside joke on a series packed with inside jokes. But fans' love of the couple --"Brittana" -- encouraged the show's creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk to bring the story line to center stage.

In doing so, they also gave Naya Rivera, the former child actress who plays Santana, a much more prominent role on the show. After she came out on "Glee," she even won the ultimate honor for any aspiring gay icon: a gig as host of the GLAAD Media Awards.

"Honestly, I never thought I'd actually be playing a teen lesbian," says Rivera in Tuesday's paper. "I didn't think it was going to go this far. But I'm glad that it did, because there have been a lot of fans who have expressed that they've been going through similar situations in their lives." Read more of the feature here.

Photo: Naya Rivera at home. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

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